Born Fighter

This is Reg Kray's autobiography, he describes his East end childhood and at the centre of it Reggie's and Ronnie's great love for their mother, Violet, describing how he and his brothers' skill in the boxing ring developed into their being a formidable street fighting team. This book contains the first detailed account of the killing of Jack "the Hat" McVitie and reveals the identity of the man who disposed of the gun following Ron's killing of George Cornell. There are revelations about successful attempts at jury-knobbling and a new disclosure about Frank "The Mad Axeman" Mitchell. Finally, for the first time in print, Reg Kray shows remorse about some of his more grisly deeds, and advises today's youngsters how not to make the same mistakes he did.

Reg and Ron Kray have long held a legendary place in British criminal history. Here, Reg aims to set the record straight, tracing the notorious twins' career from their beginnings in the East End slums to their reign over an empire of 33 London clubs, "fraud firms," and other dubious interests. Unfortunately, Kray is too close to the events to tell an objective story or even to realize where American readers need more background information. While he waxes compassionate describing the state execution of a friend, his cool description of a murder he committed in cold blood shows that the only lives he values belong to Kray or his friends. Although this book might have value as a psychological study of a habitual criminal or may generate interest because of the recent movie The Krays , it is strictly for libraries with large true crime sections.
- Lois Walker, Winthrop Coll. Lib., Rock Hill, S.C.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.